Recently, I attended a seminar on the Gold Coast and learnt about Bella Generation.

Letitia Shelton is coordinator of an organisation called City Women Toowoomba, Australia. God placed a need on Letitia's heart to look after the young women of Toowoomba.

Too many young women are abused, come from broken homes, make bad choices because of misinformation, lack self-esteem, are caught up in drug and alcohol abuse traps. In short, they are hurting and they don't know how to stop hurting.

Bella Generation is the inspiration these girls and women need. This group dreams of a beautiful generation of women - a Bella Generation, now, and forever. They are a team of girls and young women who have a desire to see change come for the girls and young women who are hurting and overhwhelmed by life.

They are dreaming of a generation of girls/women who know their true worth and value; who nurture, not self-harm; a generation of purity; a generation who are empowered to be all that God created them to be, and to use their unique gifting to uplift and encourage the hurting and wounded; a generation of women who choose to respect and honour men and receive their protection; and a generation that favours beauty, not destruction.

To achieve their dreams City Women uses magazines, girls/young women's groups, camps, and their own designer label Bella G fashion and accessories. The idea is to take this generation of young women away from the image of modern woman that is portrayed in modern magazines and bring them back to the loving and nurturing human beings God created them to be.

What makes City Women unique is that they support and work together with other oganisations that already exist. They call on women from all denominations in Toowoomba to be part of and promote these existing organisations to make them stronger so that more women will be helped. In the process healthy and God-honouring relationships develop between organisations and individual women. To me this is empowering and enlightening.

I salute City Women Toowoomba for their courage, their compassion and their every day hard work reaching out to those in need of a helping hand. You are doing exactly what Jesus wants us to do: